[Satellite News 01-31-12] Arianespace and the European Space Agency (ESA) have spent nearly $924 million into their new four-stage, 30-meter Vega launcher. Now, ESA officials confirmed Jan. 31 that the rocket is assembled on its launch pad at Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou and scheduled for lift-off next week. ESA Director-General Jean-Jacques Dordain set Feb. 9 as the target launch date.

   Vega’s first mission, dubbed VV01, aims bring nine satellites into orbit. The mission will qualify the overall Vega system, including the vehicle, the ground infrastructure and operations from the launch campaign to the payload separation and disposal of the upper module.

   The rocket’s prime payload is the Italian Space Agency’s Laser Relativity Satellite (LARES), which aims to distortions of space-time caused by Earth’s gravity and predicted by general relativity. The rocket also will carry Italy’s ALMASat-1 Earth-observation demonstration micro-satellite and seven CubeSats developed by various European universities with applications ranging from Earth imaging to solar panel testing. Italy is contributing about 60 percent of the funds needed for the Vega program. Five more ESA-sponsored Vega flights are set to launch by 2016.

   The mission marks the end of nine years of development by ESA and its partners. Arianespace’s Vega development deal is part of an ESA Vega program that is jointly financed by Italy, France, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Sweden.  In addition, the company signed a framework agreement with Vega prime contractor ELV to deliver five launchers to Arianespace. ELV, based in Colleferro, Italy, is 70 owned by Avio and 30 percent owned by the Italian space agency ASI.

   Vega is designed to lift satellites weighing between 300 and 1,500 kilograms into orbit at around 700 kilometers above Earth. Vega will work alongside the heavy-lift Ariane 5 and the medium-lift Soyuz as the smallest of three rockets owned by ESA. The agency hopes that Vega will be an appealing fit for small scientific satellite missions and space research institutions.

   The rocket was originally scheduled to debut in 2005, but was held back due to technical delays in both the development of the rocket and the ground infrastructure at the European spaceport in French Guiana. 

   “Vega will be used mostly to launch Earth-observation satellites. Whereas astronomy satellites tend to become bigger and bigger, for Earth observation you can see the opposite trend,” ESA Director of Launchers Antonio Fabrizi said in a statement.  “A lot can be done with small satellites, and the economic crisis is making them interesting again. Vega will not be able to launch telecommunications satellites because they work at orbits that it cannot reach.”

   Fabrizi added that CubeSats and other micro-satellites would probably make up the usual passenger list on a Vega mission. “We can always find room for them and they are a great opportunity for universities.”